Growing up Winchester
by Arrastra
Summary: The yellow eyed demon had mentioned “generations” of these special kids. When Renee dies in a mysterious fire, Bella is raised by her Uncle, John Winchester.
1. Begining

AN: I was writing this and realized how much I absolutely LOATH first chapters, so I hope this turns out at least somewhat descent.  
Renne might be a little OOC, but keep in mind she's young and just left Charlie.

Don't own

--

"I really appreciate this Renee."

"John, you know it's no problem," Renee chastised, sending her brother a look that stopped whatever else he was going to say. Sure, she didn't know how she was going to make this month's rent, but family was the untimate exception.

She looked over to her nephews who had already made themselves at home. Sam was currently sprawled on the couch, glued to the TV open mouthed while Dean was holding her daughter with great care, doing something to make her giggle nonstop.

"Bella already adores Dean." Renee pointed out. It had been so long since she had last seen the boys, and they gotten so much bigger. It was only a matter of years before Bella would be their size.

"How are you holding up?" John asked bluntly before his baby sister could dance around the question again. He had tried the subtle approach to be courteous, but it just wasn't his style. Besides, the woman had managed to redirect the conversation every damn time.

Last he had seen Renee, she was at her wedding all smiles and full of joy-a drastic difference from today. Now, there were dark circles around her eyes and worry lines etched on her forehead that hadn't been there before. She looked _tired. _Not just the kind that came from the lack of sleep of having a baby, but one that soaked into her entire being.

Renee glared at John. She wished he couldn't read her like a book, but growing up so close together made that rather difficult.

"You know she's six months old today," she said, avoiding John's eyes and shuffling her feet. Two months since she left her husband. Two months since she was forced to find a way to stand on her own two feet for the first time in her life. Two months since she first realized she had no idea how to raise a baby by herself. "How do you do it?" she asked finally.

"Do what?" John sighed and set down his coffee. He had been worried about her since he first got that phone call with a desperate sister plus one all alone on the other end. As soon as he heard her, he turned the car around, destination Washington, to kick his brother-in-law's ass, cop or no cop. Then she informed him it was she who left Charlie, not the other way around.

"Raise your kids after…Mary." Renee answered, running a shaky hand through her hair, "You were on the road mourning with two boys. I chose to leave and still I have no idea what I'm doing."

"I'm not exactly the model parent." John grunted incredulously. If someone was asking him for parenting advice, surely hell had frozen over. That would have certainly made his job easier as a hunter. It was then that he realized what had been nagging him. He couldn't put his finger on it before, but Renee still hadn't even cracked a smile aside from when she greeting him at the front door. "Just…do your best." He shrugged and then gazed lovingly at his sons. "I have no idea how Sam and Dean turned out so well."

"Me neither," his younger sibling teased. John chuckled and the laughter spread to Renee. There was his sister, not the distressed newly single mom he'd seen so far.

"Enough of me," she sniffed and wiped away the beginning of tears that had leaked out, "I'm more worried about you and the boys…and this life your living."

"Not this again, Renee," John groaned, feeling a very repetitive argument coming on. Rene held her hands up in defense and shook her head.

"Fine," she relented before they could get into it infront of the kids, "but when another what-do-ya-call-its has you strung up by your heels in Podunk, Texas, I'll be there only to say I told you so."

"I'll hold you to that. I better get going," he said and Renee nodded, getting up to show him the front door.

"Boys, I'm leaving!" John called. Sam immediately tore himself from the program that previously had him engrossed to the point of drooling. He jumped up and launched himself at his father. John laughed and ruffled Sam's hair. Moments like this reminded him why he was fighting.

Dean came over considerably slower than his enthusiastic brother, still cradling baby Bella in his arms. "You know what to do," John nodded to his eldest.

"Shot first, ask questions later." Dean answered with a smile.

"I'll be back in a month. Two tops." John said and peeled six year old Sam off him. "See ya, big guy."

With one last crushing hug from Renee and a promise to make it back in one piece, John was gone. He had a new lead on demon activity he needed to jump on before the trail went cold. His boys were in good hands.

--

Renee laid Bella gently in her crib and crossed the room to her own bed. She collapsed fully clothed onto it, too exhausted to change or even care. She had once thought Bella was a handful, but her nephews had now redefined the word.

Of course, she had fallen in love with the boys, but that didn't them any less…exuberant and endlessly so. When Sam wasn't a TV zombie he was bouncing around, forever talking. He was a truly sweet, genuine boy who didn't give her a break. Renee had made a mistake of giving him sugar, but had learned her lesson rather quickly. The kid was like the energizing bunny. The there was Dean.

What to say about Dean. A lot of the time he stuck to the background, watching protectively over Sam and making sure Bella was ok. It was sweet. He was so much like his father is was laughable. She nearly had a heart attack when she saw a gun hanging out of the back of his jeans while wrestling with Sam.

He calmly took her aside and explained he knew how to use it in a way that was far too mature than his age. She had finally got over it a little while later, but was dead set on having a long talk with her dear brother when he returned from whatever hunt he was on. Really! Teaching a ten year old how to use a gun!

Renee rolled over and faced the ceiling, suddenly wondering for the thousandth time if she was right leaving Charlie. She had to admit she loved him deeply, but she was young. Her worst fear was settling down and getting trapped.

She and Charlie had a whirl wind romance. They were just out of high school, wide eyed, and fell so quickly into each other. Sure, they had been happy for a while, but it just didn't work. The impossibly small town, the gossiping, petty neighbors talking about the same things. She was living the same day over and over and over again. She was suffocating. They only thing Renee didn't regret (besides causing Charlie pain) was Bella, who had become her life when she first saw her wrinkly face in the Fork's hospital. True love at first sight.

Renee turned her head lazily to watch her little girl sleep as she did often at night.

Gasping, she shot up onto her feet. "Who are you? Get away from her!" she cried at the cloaked, hunched figure leaning into her daughter crib. In a quick jerk, the figure turned its head to look at her. Renee couldn't see his face, only two glowing, yellow eyes.

She gasped again, this time in recognition. She was still in school when Mary died and when John told her it wasn't a normal fire that killed his beloved wife. Ever since then, they kept contact and her brother kept her updated on all of his on goings. Renee was sure he edited most of what she heard, and he left sufficient chucks out, but he always said he wanted someone to know if anything were to happen to him. This couldn't be the same yellow eyes he was obsessed with, could it?

The figure lifted its head slightly so the dim light of the moon shone on his (she was pretty sure it was in fact a he) face. It wasn't much, but enough to so Renee could see his smirk.

"What do you want?" Renee whispered. He just kept smirking.

Renee took a quick glance at Bella. She seemed fine, still fast asleep cuddled with her lion stuffed animal Charlie had picked out, but Renee's maternal instinct wanted her as far away from the intruder as possible. Neither said anything, as if waiting for the other to make the first move. Renee grew anxious, itching to reach out and just hold Bella.

She inhaled deeply, meeting the man's lumonous eyes in a animalistic challenge of a mother protecting her young from a preditor. Then she propelled herself towards the crib. For a moment, she thought it worked, but her hand barely grazed the pink wooden gate before she was flung across the room and pinned to the wall.

Only, there wasn't anything visible holding her there. Confusion flooded out everything else as she squirmed against nothing. Then, she was sliding up the wall and she started screaming. "BELLA! BELLA!" she worked in between frantic screeches. No, this couldn't be happening! Not like this. Not like Mary, for she had no doubt who the man was now. She had to get down and save her daughter!

She heard a distant "AUNT RENEE!" before she was flat against the ceiling and all she knew was a burning heat.

Renee was already dead by the time Dean ran to rescue his cousin from the inferno. Fighter fighters were all over the apartment building within ten minutes and the three children were trying to find a hotel on foot. By the next morning, John had dropped everything and was driving back to his boys, completely numbed by what he was told.

The next week, John called Charlie Swan about Bella only to find there had been a terrible fire at his house a few nights before.

So that left John with another child to protect and to raise. He was gonna destroy that yellow eyed son of a bitch even if it killed him.

--

AN: Reviews are loved and much appreciated. Really, I love hearing what y'all have to say and it puts a smile on my face.  
... :D -like that one


	2. Water

Hello readers. I've decided to take a new direction with this story. From now on, it will be drabbles of Bella growing up with our favorite boys until she reaches an age where the Cullen's will be introduced. Until then, I'll probably jump around year-wise, but I'll make sure to put their ages at the beginning of each segment.

I'm terribly sorry for the lack of updates. It's my senior year in high school and it's hard to keep up with something like fanfiction, which I really like doing, but really isn't necessary.

If y'all really like the ice cream hunt and junk yard scene that was previously here, let me know and I'll try to work it in, in the future.

As for pairings, I'm almost completely decided on a Bella/Jacob or Bella/OC. Definitely not Edward, sorry. I am open for pairing the boys with a Cullen or anyone else though, and I will take requests into serious consideration.

So thanks for sticking around for so long. Hopefully, I'll be able again soon update soon.

Dean: 9  
Sam: 5  
Bella: 6 months

It had taken a while to sort through the remains of Renee's apartment building and identify the body. The burial was nice. Small with a descent amount of friends and family. Renee would have liked it.

When Mary was killed it had damn near killed John, but this…this dug the knife deeper than he ever thought it could go. He had thought that the worst had already passed, but the good times just kept coming. It was like the thing was taunting him, going after everyone close to him.

He wanted to put blame solely on yellow-eyes, but he couldn't deny that his baby sister's death was as much his fault as the demon's. He brought the demon upon Renee. For the last five years, he had tried to cut her off from him, to move on from any type of distraction and weakness, but for some reason, he just couldn't let her go. He should have forgotten about her and let her live innocent to the knowledge of evil that was everywhere.

But John kept her updated on his activities "just in case" something happened to him, but he knew that was bull.

The only thing that kept him from taking a swan dive into an empty pool after Mary was revenge, his boys, and Renee. Just talking to her every once and a while kept him sane. She was like his gravity that kept him grounded and focused. Now that she was gone, he couldn't tell which way was up and which was down. He just felt so lost and confused all the time. She had always known what he needed to hear. Sometimes she would smack some sense in him and remind him he was still a dad and that was his main priority. Other times, she'd just let him know she cares and that was enough.

But that damn demon!

He had a hunger of a starving man for the blood of that thing. The trail was hot, but there were other things to look into first. Renee's funeral for one and Bella for another. Charlie Swan was dead and apparently his mother was too elderly too take in a baby, so Bella was going to go into the system.

John knew he should let it happen. Let Bella go to a nice, caring, _normal_ family where she would be safe and sheltered, but there was no guarantee with foster homes. The thought of Renee's kid living with complete strangers unsettled him and made his skin crawl.

He was a selfish, obsessed bastard.

So that left him with a folder stashed away in his trunk that held Sam and Dean's birth certificates and now, Bella's adoption papers. Isabella Marie Winchester as it was now.

The boys were ecstatic at having a little sister. Sam was strutting around, fully enjoying being a big brother and no longer being the baby of the family. He was already trying to teach Bella to walk and singing her the ABCs.

Dean, well, he was happy as well, but held himself differently now.

When he first arrived back to Phoenix, John was in shock. He went through all the proper motions with the police and social services, but it was Dean who kept everything together. John didn't think twice about the diaper packages and baby food that were suddenly lying around. Nor did he pay any mind as to the microwave dinner that was always waiting for him when he got home. Dean could see well enough that John wasn't in the shape or the right state of mind to look after them, much less himself, so the nine year old did the best he could.

Dean had taken the role of the mother, the father, and a big brother all at once. Carrying Sam out of that fire so many years ago dubbed him his little brother's protector. Rescuing him once again along with Bella seemed to magnify this…need...to look after his younger siblings. Dean rarely took his eyes off of them, as if waiting for yet another fire. It made John immensely proud of his son and utterly disgusted in himself once he gained his bearings to feel anything besides misery and emptiness at the loss of Rene.

He could practically hear her voice in his head. _You've got my kid now, John. Step your game up._

So far he was doing a piss poor job for Bella as well as Sam and Dean. He should be the one comfort Bella when she threw a fit for her mother and the one to take care of all the baby's needs. Not a nine year old who should be enjoying a carefree summer. A little voice in the back off his head told John take his head out of his ass and start being a father to these kids, but he couldn't ignore the itch-the burning he felt for going after the demon. Part of being a good father was protecting his kids from everything out there, especially the thing that killed their mothers. That meant hunting and killing everything he came across in the process and teaching them how to as well.

It wasn't the way a child should be raised. Hell, it probably wasn't even healthy for him to be so obsessed with the hunt, but it wasn't just the demon that kept him from going house shopping in the suburbs and finding a more practical profession. John needed them to be able to protect themselves when he wasn't around, because someday, he wouldn't and the world was infested with things worse than nightmares. Evil was everywhere. He saw it everywhere, in everything. How could he just settle down and raise these kids right when he knew what was out there? When he knew the thing that killed Mary and Renee was still out there somewhere, killing someone else's mother or wife or sister? There was no way in hell he could let this go, just like he couldn't let Renee go.

"Dad!"

"Huh? What is it?" John said, startled. He had been doing that lately, drifting off into his thoughts. It was that last thing that he needed to happen with that job he had.

"Sammy needs to go to the bathroom," Dean said impatiently, pointing to a squirming Sam.

"Alright. Come back soon as he's done," John replied.

"Yes sir," his oldest said without hesitation like the good little soldier he was and quickly escorted his brother anyway. The change in Dean wasn't exactly a positive one, but it was better than the one five years ago when he didn't speak a word until he was half way through kindergarten.

Running a hand over his face, John turned back to the matter at hand. On one arm was a purple shirt with a glittery butterfly in the other was bright yellow one with "Girls Rule!" written across it with curvy letters.

Angry spirits, possessions, wendigos, hell, even enemy fire John faced without fear, but there was no denying the pure terror he felt at this moment. He knew how to raise boys. He knew how to treat them, what they needed, and what they wanted, but a girl? He almost shuddered when they passed the lingerie section. When would she have to start wearing those?

He was way out of his league with this one. This was ridiculously over his head.

Putting both shirts back on the rack they came from, John decided to sick to solid colors. Simple designs. He didn't want to chance having his niece running around in things that looked ridiculous. He really wouldn't know the difference if she did.

Like this shirt here. Red and white striped. Plain and simple and safe. Bella gurgled from her place in the cart seat as John continued to throw random shirts into the growing pile. This wasn't so bad.

John let his thoughts wander as he checked things off his mental checklist of things Dean hadn't got. Most things that could be bought were already in the cart. He'd have to go by one of his storage places for Sam's old car seat. No reason to buy a new one when there was a perfectly good one collecting dust.

Time for check out then. Wheeling the shopping cart sharply in an about face, John sent Bella into gleeful giggles and started to cut through aisles to the front of the store. He made it about a foot into aisle five before he stopped dead in his tracks.

Bras, fine, he could handle that when the time comes…but _tampons_? A deep shudder racked his spine and he sped down the aisle, trying desperately in vain to ignore various boxes and packages of…feminine products.

Maybe he could send Bella to Jim's or Bobby's for her teen years.

--

_Three Years Later_

_Dean:12  
Sam: 8  
Bella:3_

John let out another booming laugh as he watched his kids wrestle on the floor.

It had all started when Dean had opened his new hand held game (that was apparently all the rage at school before the students were let out for summer) and started playing it. Sam had of course asked for a turn and of course, Dean had said no, too wrapped up in his new toy. One thing led to another and shoving escalated into a full out brawl.

Bella had walked in from the bathroom and picked up the forgotten game.

Letting out a delighted squeal at something on the screen, Bella started to enthusiastically and clumsily push buttons. At that, a silence fell over the room that Bella didn't seem to notice. John put down his .45 that he had been cleaning, not wanting to miss this.

Slowly but surely, Bella realized the lack of noise and raised her head. Her brothers were staring at her intently. They were both sprawled out on the floor with Sam in a sort of head lock from Dean. After a quick glance at each other, the boys yelled "Get her!"

With a yelp, Bella dropped the game and tried to make a run for it back into the restroom. She would have most likely have been successful if it not for the fact she tripped over her left foot.

Luckily Dean caught her before she hit the ground and they continued the fight. John saw that the fight was noticeably gentler than before, but just as entertaining.

In just a few minutes Dean had managed to pin both Bella and Sam and was tickling them both mercilessly. Sam laughed hysterically and kicked his legs that were pinned under Dean, and Bella squirmed screaming "DEAN!"

"Who's the best big brother in the world?" Dean asked and slightly backed off the tickling so the two could answer.

"Sam!"

"I am!"

"Wrong answer!" Dean laughed and tickled them both more vigorously than before. High pitched giggles filled the room mixed in with strangled "YOU ARE!!"s. Satisfied, Dean climbed off the two them and helped them up.

John went back to cleaning his guns until he felt a tug on his shirt. Bella was looking up at him with those big brown eyes of hers. _Uh oh. She wants something ._The little girl was a spoiled child, always commanding the attention of at least one of the Winchesters at all times. One well placed manipulative pout could send any of them stumbling to concede to her demands. It was ridiculous really, but the boys couldn't bring themselves to resist her charm.

Bella learned early of the control she had over Dean, Sam, John (at some times), and even their family friends.

"Hm?" John asked.

"Can we go to the park, daddy, please," she asked politely, hugging his large arm.

"I'll think about it," John said and pretended to ignore her. He and Dean had just finished a hunt-a run of the mill salt and burn-so he knew he'd say yes, but delayed the answer. A low chuckle from across the room told him that Dean knew what was going on and John couldn't help but smirk back.

There was another tug and John wiped his face clean. She was ever the impatient child. "Hm?" he asked again.

"Are you done thinking?" Bella pouted.

"Maybe," John said.

"So can we go?" she said pleadingly, looking at him with so much hope that John couldn't hold out any longer.

"Only of you can beat Sammy to the car," John laughed receiving an indignant 'Hey!' from Sam and a gleeful shout from Bella.

It didn't take long to get everyone in the car, Dean riding shotgun and Bella and Sam in the back seat as usual. John was just about to take off when his cell phone started ringing.

"Winchester," he answered automatically as he backed up.

_It's Bobby_

John immediately stopped the car. Bobby was calling him? Something wasn't right. He was usually the one who called the other man, looking for advice or guidance. "What's wrong?" he asked.

_There's a big hunt up in Minnesota. Elkins told me to call you and a couple of others. I'll fill you in when you get here._

"Alright," John said and shut his phone. Dread filled him as he looked at his kids. Dean already knew what was about to happen and sat slumped in his seat. Sam seemed doubtful, and innocent little Bella sat only nearly containing herself with excitement.

"Why aren't we going?" she asked.

John paused. No matter how many times this had happened over the years, he never knew what to say. Normal just wasn't the Winchester way. Going to parks and family vacations just weren't going to happen.

"I got it, Dad," Dean said after a prolonged moment of silence. John nodded and got out of the car to get his duffle and load the weapons. This was an all too familiar dance. Give Dean the fake credit card. Give him the usual let-no-one-in-don't-leave-the-room-or-else speech. Give a time fame in which he would be gone and then call saying he'd be just one more week. As expected, Dean 'yes sir'ed and Sam and Bella gave him hugs good bye.

--

Sam was used to being left alone in strange place for long period of time. He was used to it being just him and his siblings, but Bella was still young and didn't understand why her Daddy always went away. She had stopped asking questions a few months ago, but that didn't stop the three-year-old from being in a sour mood. Bella wasn't one to throw tantrums, but the tears were a dead giveaway.

"Hey, baby girl," Dean cooed, picking Bella up and settling them on one of the beds. Sam huffed and flipped onto the other bed, angry. Dean ignored his brother, choosing to focus on one sibling at a time. "What's up with the waterworks?"

Bella hastily wiped her eyes with an arm and gave a muffled "I dunno."

"I know you're sad," Dean said with an uncharacteristic gentleness and patience that he would only ever show to Bella and Sam. "But Dad will be back soon, kay?"

"But he'll leave 'gain," Bella said, looking into her lap. Dean felt an acute sense of de-ja-vu coming on of a time where he had this conversation with Sam. He never thought he'd have to have it again, but he never thought he'd have a sister either.

"Probably," Dean said, not willing to outright lie to Bella, "but he does it for us. You may not understand now, but everything he does is for us. Now, I need you to stop crying now because, you got to be tough like me and Sammy here."

Bella continued sniffling, but nodded and finally met Dean's eyes. "That's our Bells," he smiled, "Now go wash your face. We're having lunch soon."

She left obediently, closing the bathroom door behind her. One down, one to go.

"Sam.."

"I know, Dean."

And he did. At eight, he knew and accepted that their Dad wasn't always going to be there for him. Not like Dean always was.

--

_One Year Later_

_Dean:13  
Sam: 9  
Bella: 4_

Dean was in hell. That was the only logical explanation for why it was so damn hot. It was midsummer in Laredo, Texas and the air conditioner broke an hour and a half ago. The motel room that had been they're home for the last week had become a prison.

He was soaked in sweat, boxers sticking to his body. Both he and Sam had foregone any other clothing than that while Bella was squirming in her shorts and tank top.

Dean turned over, sighing in utter happiness of the cool tile of the bathroom floor that now pressed against his heated skin. However, as fast as the feeling had come, it went and the tile warmed up to match his body temperature. Sighing in frustration, Dean rolled again, a new coolness greeting him, but then vanishing.

"Deeeaaaaannn!"

Burying his face in his arms, Dean pretended he was some else. Somewhere nice and cold where the sun was nothing but a distant memory. Antarctica sounded really nice.

"Deeeaaaaannn!"

And there goes his fantasy. "What Sam?" Dean grunted. He loved those kids more than air, but right now, their little voices were annoying the crap out of him.

"Can we go swimming?" Sam called hopefully for the nth time.

"No, Sammy. You know dad's orders."

"But dad's not even here!" Sam said desperately.

"Yeah!" Bella echoed. "Screw that!"

Dean really needed to start watching his mouth around Bella. He was rubbing off and if his dad caught her saying that, it would be his hide. Too out of it and heat delirious to care at the moment, he let it slide knowing he would regret it when Bella would start shouting profanities around their dad one of these days. Dean let his eyes drift shut, willing himself to fall asleep and wake up in Antarctica.

As he soon found out, that was a fatal mistake, because _COLD_! Dean jumped up and the ice cubes that were on his back a few seconds ago fell innocently to the floor. Those little brats! He'll show them what happens when you mess with Dean Winchester.

Dean stomped out of the restroom and was met with an empty room. There were two beds, slept in and unmade and the TV was emitting a low murmur. A moment of panic swept Dean. Common sense told him that Sam knew leaving the motel was one of the big don'ts of their lives. He knew it wasn't safe when their Dad wasn't there.

He was about to tear open the front door and search for his wayward brother and sister when he heard giggles coming from the kitchen area.

_Those little..._

A plan forming in his mind, Dean gave an exaggerated grunt and slumped back to the bathroom, As quietly and quickly as he could, he closed the door and grabbed a bucket, most likely forgot by a made. He filled it to the brim with water and then hid it on the side of the toilet. Someone coming from the door couldn't see it, but if he laid down how he was before, it would be right in front of his face. _Perfect_.

All there was to do now was to lie and wait, because if he knew his siblings as well as he knew he did, they'd be back for round two, eager for a rise from their big brother and salvation from boredom. They counted on him for fun in their messed up lives of shitty motels and endless car rides, and as their elder brother, he felt compelled to meet their expectations. A quick thought flashed across his mind, but he tried his best to ignore it. The was no way this could end pleasantly when their father would return from his hunt. If he went through with this, he knew there would be serious consequences, Ruining a motel room through water damage surely wasn't a method of lying low, but Dean wasn't going to deny this small bit of joy from two of the most important people in his life. He wasn't going to even try.

Dad was doing the best he could. Dean knew that. When he was around, he was a great father to Bella and he clearly loved his sons, but the problem was him not being around enough to be the great guy. Sometimes he was moody and distant, jotting down notes on loose sheets of paper and his journal. Sometimes he was on the phone or researching, sweating over heavy, ancient looking tombs. Sometimes he was a great dad, but that was only sometimes when he decided to come around. It was frustrating for Dean to say the least. He wished he knew how to explain it to Bella. Sam understood for the most part, but Dean couldn't stand seeing Bella's constant disappointment and sadness at their father's absence.

But now wasn't the time to brood over things he could change. This, right now, the happiness of Bella and Sam, he could change.

Just as Dean got comfortable on the floor, he heard the door squeak open. Right on time. There was some shuffling and then ice dropping on his back. With one smooth motion, Dean ignored the uncomfortable sensation, grabbed the bucket, and threw its contents at the little tricksters.

"AHHHHH!"

"DEAN!"

And so the Epic Water Battle of the Winchesters began.


End file.
